Cursed Dragon

Description

Cursed Dragons are enemies in Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen.

Encountered on Bitterblack Isle, these undead dragons from origins unknown bear a striking visual similarity to a near death Ur-Dragon, however Cursed Dragons are smaller and less powerful. Instead of a heart, they have a single purple crystal in their chest, which the Cursed Dragon accompanying the Dark Bishop also lacks.

They breathe a vile and foul gas, which can inflict multiple debilitations and rots any time sensitive items in the party's inventory.

Like the Ur-Dragon, the Cursed Dragon can be slain by a pawn if they strike the final blow to its crystal.

Overview

Stats

Stats Health Attack Defense Magick Attack Magick Defense Weight 250,000[1] 5,600 850 2,700 690  ??

Relative Damage Taken Slash Bash Fire Ice Thunder Holy Dark 100% 100% 150% 70% 70% 150% 10%

Sources: Dragon's Dogma - ドラゴンズドグマ ＆ Dark Arisen (www10.atwiki.jp) and in-game testing.

1. ↑ The Dark Bishop's Cursed Dragon has only 12,500 Health.

Attacks

Dragonforging

Slaying Cursed Dragons offers the amongst highest odds to Dragonforge equipment, and greater than any other of the minor dragonkin.

Initial state	Dragonforging chance
stars enhancement	40%
stars enhancement	55%
stars enhancement	65%
stars enhancement	75%

Tactics

Offensive

• The heart crystal on the chest is its weak spot, though blows and arrows to the head can stagger it.
  • All melee vocations: Simply climb it and attack.  For climbing tips, see Climbing.
• Weak to Fire, and highly susceptible to Burning.
• Weak to Holy.
  • Although the dragon is undead, it is unaffected by spells such as High Anodyne, which would usually damage such creatures.
• Vulnerable to Torpor.
• Cursed Dragons are resilient to, but may be inflicted with Lowered Defense, Lowered Magick and Lowered Strength.
• Can be Silenced.
• Ice based attacks may partially inflict Frozen but the dragon cannot be shattered.
• Attacking the heart at close quarters makes it difficult for the Dragon to retaliate. The Cursed Dragon's only effective attack at this point is trying to grab its attacker or performing a spin attack or biting, which can be blocked or dodged.
• Immune to Drenched, Tarring, Blindness, Poison, Curse, Petrification, and Sleep.
• Whilst hovering, melee strikes to the tail have a high chance to cause knockdown. However magick and bow attacks are better concentrated on the heart, head, or legs.
• The Mystic Knight shield Zombiebane is very effective against Cursed Dragons, being the equal of the strongest magick shields when facing this foe.

2 Cursed Dragons slain with only Rusted Daggers B, Arisen undamaged

A Strider demonstration. (Hard mode)

Cursed Dragon slain with only Rusted daggers I, Arisen undamaged

An Assassin demonstrating Masterful Kill effectiveness. (Hard mode, 16 counters)

Defensive

• The safest or most effective place for a melee vocation to be when faced with a Cursed Dragon is either grabbing onto its chest or standing directly underneath its heart.

• The Cursed Dragon's breath can inflict multiple debilitations simultaneously, including Cursed, Poison, and Torpor.
  • Climbing onto the Cursed Dragon's chest can sometime be a safe position from the breath attack. However attempting to shelter here is not 100% reliable.
  • The initial blast has a radius of around 15 meters.
  • Follow up poison bomblets may land anywhere, and sometimes direct cover may not protect from them.

• Dark resistance mitigates the Dragon's Cursed Breath Assault.

• If the Arisen takes up a position above ground level, like the upper walkways or ramps in Midnight Helix, the Dragon will spend most of its time in the air, with limited offensive options except poison breath. Because the crystal heart is exposed while in flight, it is easy to repeatedly down the dragon with ranged attacks.

• Spellcasting from a distance is best accomplished from the Dragon's flanks, out of reach of its sweeping backhands.

• A Cursed Dragon's attack patterns can be more easily learnt in "slow motion" by observing a torpored dragon.

• Determine "safe" areas of the battlefield to escape from the breath attack. For example, in the Duskmoon Tower the Arisen can run behind the large tree, behind rock formations, around corners, or into any opened treasure chest chambers.
  • For a ranged Arisen, there is a column to the left of the entrance to the Vault of Defiled Truth.  If one gets behind it and stands all the way back against the north wall, the dragon cannot reach the Arisen or pawns for most of its attacks. Its breath weapon will also rarely affect the Arisen or pawns in this position. It will spend most of the fight trying unsuccessfully to bite the Arisen, who can bombard it with ranged attacks or spells.

• The most dangerous place to stand is directly in front of the Dragon, as its Bite is its single most powerful attack. The Cursed Dragon has a long, craning neck and a far reaching forward lunge, so avoid frontal assaults.
  • Running towards, and not away from the Dragon's underbelly when it begins its biting lunges may be a more effective way to avoid being chomped.

• After being knocked down and reeling, with its health past the halfway point, the dragon will initiate its massive breath attack. Once the Dragon has fully reared up onto its hind legs, there appears to be no technique capable of interrupting the breath attack. The breath attack will predictably be followed by its Possession roar. This attack has significant stagger.

• The Cursed Dragon in The Fallen City can cast High Lassitude to slow the party down, either prepare in advance with resistant outfits, or suitable potions, or inflict Silence to prevent the spell being cast.

• Mage pawns can hold the Cursed Dragon in place with High Grapnel, temporarily nullifying the physical attacks upon which it relies.

Fighter vs Cursed Dragon. One on one duel. Arisen is undamaged.

Demonstration of a shieldless Arisen utilising Hindsight Strike to evade and counter, and Heavenward Lash to strike the tail when it hovers overhead to bring it down. The poison breath can be avoided by hiding behind obstacles or grabbing onto its back. (Hard mode, with the Stability augment)

Farming Cursed Dragons with Comestion, Hard mode, party undamaged

This "blind spot" is safe from virtually all Cursed Dragon attacks. A perfect perch to spam spells like Comestion and Miasma.

Pawn specific

• Unlike other Dragonkin, excluding the Ur-Dragon, pawns can land the final blow on a Cursed Dragon.

• Unlike other Dragonkin, the Dragon Roar can inflict Possession, forcing pawns to attack the Arisen. Prepare suitably.
  • Pawns with low Possession resistance who climb the Cursed Dragon's back can also become Possessed, but they typically remain helpless on the Cursed Dragon's back until either restored to sanity, forfeited, or the fight ends.
  • Take care with high level pawns who could can potentially annihilate the entire party if they become possessed.

Pawn Bestiary Knowledge

For full information, refer to the Bestiary page or the according section on the Drake page.

Enemy Specific:

• Weak to Holy
• Weak to Fire
• Let the poison breath attack hit you making time-sensitive items rot instantly. This may have to happen several times. Pawn's comment, "Augh...our meat and vegetables rot" or "His putrid breath spoils our belongings" is not an indication that they learned this already.
• Let the Dark Bishop revive his pet Cursed Dragon after it dies. May need to be witnessed a few times.
• Let the Dark Bishop possess its pet Cursed Dragon. May also need to be witnessed a few times.
• Avoid head-on rushes.
• Perfect Block a lunge/bite attack.
• Witness the Cursed Dragon in The Fallen City cast spells.

In addition to witnessing these techniques, it is necessary for pawns to participate in killing over 15 Cursed Dragons with their own Arisen or while traveling with others.

It is thought that the Cursed Dragon accompanying the Dark Bishop and the Cursed Dragon in the Fallen City each generate unique knowledge flags that the standard Cursed Dragon spawning as a necrophagous beast does not.

Pawn Chatter

"The walking corpse of a wyrm...?!"

"That dragon's near rotted through!" (no bestiary knowledge)

"There, a cursed dragon!"

"This must be the work of the darkest magick."

"Stay clear of its putrefying breath!"

"The wings, Master! Strike it from the sky!"

"There! The point of light upon its chest!"

" 'Tis like the crystal in its breast animates it!"

"Augh?! Our meat and vegetables rot!"

Notes

• The Cursed Dragon does not use wing flap attacks like other Dragons. As a consequence Stability is only of use against the Cursed Dragon's aerial fly by.
• The Cursed Dragon's breath may rot meat and vegetables, but its breath can be oddly beneficial as well. An Egg or Ambrosial Meat can be turned immediately into a Golden Egg or Sour Ambrosial Meat when exposed to Cursed Dragon's breath. Store such items in an Airtight Flask to preserve, as further breath attacks will rot the egg or meat.

• Randomly appearing necrophagous Cursed Dragon can spawn in mid-air and fall, which may be sufficient to kill a low level or badly equipped character by crushing them.

• If the Cursed Dragon is encountered together with another dangerous enemy, such as in Midnight Helix or Tower of Treasons Repaid, they may fight each other - although the other foe won, they sometimes fail or are unable to hit the chest crystal needed to finish off the Dragon, which then requires the Arisen to step in. Experience is not awarded for creatures killed by the Cursed Dragon, though loot can still be gathered.

• If the Cursed Dragon is engaged in the Duskmoon Tower prior to Barroch being removed from the area (possible by using a Rancid Bait Meat), Barroch might catch the aggro of the Cursed Dragon randomly. It's recommended to bring a Fighter with Shield Drum or a Warrior with War Cry, or equip any weapon or skill that can be used to knock it down the sky.
  • Barroch is invulnerable and even if he is constantly hit or poisoned by the Cursed Dragon, he cannot die.

• The Cursed Dragon is more supple than might be supposed. It is able to enter areas that appear impossibly small. For example, it can climb all the way to the top of the stairs in the Midnight Helix leading to the Ward of Regret. It will immediately slide down unless it is staggered by a critical blow that causes it to writhe. In that case, it will remain at the top of the stairs.

• (Exploit) It is possible to "farm" Cursed Dragons, for details see Farming Exploits § Cursed Dragons.
• As opposed to other dragons, destruction of the Cursed Dragon's horns or wings will lack the distinctive impact effect. In addition the Cursed Dragon's model won't update like other dragons, but its hitbox will.

Gallery

Cursed Dragon - Duskmoon - Solo warrior with Rusted Warhammer

External links

• Official website (archived)